Despite the risks that envelop in it, the fast food industry is still booming nowadays. Statistics gathered from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, most people especially millennials are willing to give up about 45 percent of their food allowance to fast food.
But amid the growing business, health experts advise people to at least control their cravings and try to limit their fast food intake. This is after they recently found out something that made them hate these kinds of foods even more.
A study conducted in the United States, which features different popular fast food restaurants, revealed that portions of foods offered to their consumers had increased dramatically over the years. As the sizes increased, calories, sodium, other additives, and preservatives have also increased, reported by the lead author Megan McCrory, a research associate professor with the Boston University College of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences.
Experts working on the study revealed how fast food's serving is now almost 400% more than how it was in 1986. Desserts, on the other hand, are now more than 400%, according to WebMD.
With the added serving, sodium and calories have also increased intensely. This two minerals can be beneficial to the body, only if the person is not consuming too much.
Research associate professor with the Boston University College of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences Megan McCrory said, "The portion size increase is largely responsible for the increase in calories and sodium."
The studies further reveal that every decade, about 62 calories are added to the original serving and some are about 30 calories. For sodium, about 4.6 percent is added to the entrees and 3.9 percent for sides, as reported by TIME.
With the result of the study, the National Restaurant Association decided not to keep the nutritional information of the foods they will eat from the consumers anymore. What they have learned about the results is how important it is to label menus to give the market information they need to help them keep their body healthy.
Michelle Milgrim, a registered dietitian and manager of employee wellness at Northwell Health in New Hyde Park, N.Y., said, that aside from the increase of servings and nutritional values, the study also revealed a "provocative change" that happened and still happening in fast food chains. The dietitian explained how buns were replaced with chicken breast and often would include more bacon and cheese to several items in the menu, which could also be the cause of the increase in calories and sodium big time.
